I would like to separate my license plate from my tail light-brake light-turn signal light and mount it with its own light in a holder. I would appreciate it if members would suggest how to tap into the wiring to do that??? I don't want a blinking license plate light every time I turn on the turn signal...or have it go on and off when I hit the brakes

I intend to move the brake-turn signal lights off of the side of the trailer to the hatch. I put the wiring in to do that when I built the hatch so I have wiring sitting there ready to go...I just got to tap into the existing circuits....and get a license plate holder !

Thanks,

Jim

A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman...

But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.

Jim, I used a separate plate holder and light on my tear. I tapped into the brown wire on the trailer's wiring. Brown is the one for the tail lights and running lights. The signal/brake wires are yellow and green. I used a separate ground wire for the lights. I don't like using the trailer frame for ground.

On your standard all in one bulb one filament is for the tail and the other filament is for the Brake/Turn signal. If you have the tail lights on, that filament stays lit all the time, the other filament in the bulb does the blinking

Thanks for clearing the fog ...I wanna be sure I understand your notes...

Sam, with the license plate holder, the light will only need two wires, brown and green (ground) right?

George, I understand you to say that the light in the holder will be the on all the time bulb which won't blink...here's a question...can you use the double filament bulb in a license plate holder or do you have to use a single filament bulb?

Have a great day, guys,

Jim

A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman...

But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.

Again, much obliged. In searching this stuff I came across the following which makes me rethink whether I wanna go to Texas...I have a cousin who lives in Houston and thought maybe we'd stop by sometime...

This seems awfully picky for a state that lets you pack heat and 'shoot now, ask questions later' if you think the mailman is trying to break into your house...?????

Texans who unintentionally cover even a small portion of their car's license plate can be stopped by police, ticketed and perhaps arrested for the offense, the state's highest criminal court ruled Wednesday.

The 8-1 decision left three Court of Criminal Appeals judges holding their noses — proclaiming the statute "uncommonly bad," but acknowledging that the letter of the law prohibits drivers from encasing their license plate in a frame that obscures the state name, state nickname or even portions of the artwork.

Unfortunately, the law as written unintentionally endangers civil liberties, Judge Cathy Cochran wrote in an opinion that, while siding with the majority, raises concerns about the ruling's impact.

"It is a 'gotcha' law because it allows the police to arbitrarily stop, ticket, arrest and search any person who is driving a car whose license plate frame covers up any portion of that plate's design," Cochran wrote in an opinion joined by Judges Tom Price and Cheryl Johnson. "Look around you — the vast majority of drivers on Texas roads and highways can be stopped and arrested at any given moment."

Still, Cochran wrote, under a law revised in 2003, "it is a crime . . . if that frame obscures even the tiniest bit of the doo-dad design details of the standard-issue Texas license plate."

Violating the standard a Class C misdemeanor with a maximum fine of $200. But, Cochran noted, the offense can also result in arrest, a trip to jail and a search by police.

The case began with a November 2003 traffic stop by a Fredericksburg police officer. Craig Hill Johnson was pulled over because his dealer-installed license plate frame partially obscured the word "Texas," hid the words "Lone Star State" and obscured a depiction of a space shuttle in a nighttime sky.

Johnson was subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated. At trial, he claimed the license plate frame did not violate the law and moved to suppress evidence from the traffic stop. The judge agreed, and prosecutors appealed — winning the next round when the 4th Court of Appeals reversed the trial judge's ruling.

The issue before the Court of Criminal Appeals focused on the Texas Transportation Code, which states: "A person commits an offense if the person attaches to or displays on a motor vehicle a number plate or registration insignia that . . . has a coating, covering or protective material that . . . alters or obscures the letters or numbers on the plate, the color of the plate, or another original design feature of the plate."

The majority opinion, written by Presiding Judge Sharon Keller, said plain reading of the law invalidated Johnson's claims.

Even assuming that the state name and nickname do not constitute "letters on the plate" as stated in the law, the words and designs are part of the original design features of the plate, "the obscuring of which is prohibited," Keller wrote.

The majority also engaged in a bit of speculation about lawmakers' intent in crafting the code. "The Legislature might have wished to require the entire design of a license plate to be displayed to help facilitate the quick detection of counterfeits," the opinion states.

"It's terrible. Basically, the Court of Criminal Appeals is giving enormous power to the police to stop people on their will and whim," Harrington said. "Nobody is ever going to drive a car that is perfectly, perfectly in compliance with all the laws and regulations imposed by Legislature."

The lone dissent, filed by Judge Lawrence Meyers, called the law unconstitutionally vague.

"Nowhere in the statute does it say who is violating the statute if the car has such a license plate cover. Is it the person who put the cover around the license plate? Is it the car's owner? Is it the driver of the car?" Meyers wrote.

In her concurring opinion, Cochran offered drivers three pieces of advice:

•Remove all license plate frames, attaching the plate with "bare nuts and bolts."

•Spend a little extra money, if available, to get a personalized license plate without the doo-dad design details.

•Ask the Legislature to enact a law that requires all design work and lettering on Texas license plates to be indented to provide a one-inch white margin at the edges.

In the meantime, Cochran warned, beware.

"Be prepared to be pulled over and ticketed, and perhaps even arrested (and have your car towed) if your license plate frame obscures even one of the 'starry-night stars' on your license plate.

"Mothers driving their children to school should beware; not even the United States Supreme Court will protect you from arrest for violating the Texas Transportation Code."

Have a similar law in Ohio, can't cover any important imformation, and we have stickers along the bottom of our plates. For the most part the law doesn't bother most people, but if they suspect you of doing something wrong it can be an excuse to pull you over.

I have been trying to find a license plate light at Strauss, Pep, stores etc...only found one--not too impressed with it... But I am curious...it had ONE wire--a black one...so, I assume it would connect to brown+ white wires from the vehicle wires??? Or...????

I will likely get the light online, but I am curious about that wiring setup in case I run into it later...

Thanks

Jim

A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman...

But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.

kayakrguy wrote:I have been trying to find a license plate light at Strauss, Pep, stores etc...only found one--not too impressed with it... But I am curious...it had ONE wire--a black one...so, I assume it would connect to brown+ white wires from the vehicle wires??? Or...????

I will likely get the light online, but I am curious about that wiring setup in case I run into it later...

Thanks

Jim

Jim...that one wire would goto the Brown wire...the white wire is not present since they intend for the ground to come thru the frame...not a good way to go...find one with 2 wires and have a dedicated ground wire for all fixtures...do not rely on grounding thru the frame...at least that is the way I would and do, doit........
madjack

...I have come to believe that, conflict resolution, through violence, is never acceptable.....................mj

1) I am not clear what the issue is about frame grounding. To wit: The white ground wire from the car comes back to the trailer....and the car's ground is to the car frame....so, if the white ground wire attaches to the trailer frame that would take all grounds back to the car, no?

2) If each load is to have a separate ground (which is what I understand you to mean--correct?) and the ground wire from the load--say the license plate light--gjoes to the white wire from the car....what is the difference from 1) abovv? I think I am missing something in this scenario!

Thanks,

Jim

A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman...

But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.

Jim 90 % of all wiring problems can be traced to a bad ground. Loose, dirty, corroded and rusty connections will cause that light to fail and when it does it is harder to fix than looking for a broken connection. Now having said that the trailers that I haul for work have been sitting for long periods of time up to 10 years and IF they have lights on them all need a separate ground to work.

Now on my personal trailers all lights are two wire and ground to the frame and to the white wire. (Yeah I know I sometimes wear a belt with my suspenders). But they work.

Cutterpup wrote:Jim 90 % of all wiring problems can be traced to a bad ground. Loose, dirty, corroded and rusty connections will cause that light to fail and when it does it is harder to fix than looking for a broken connection.

Dan

...that is the long and short of it...your car is grounded and the white wire in the harness is from that ground....the white wire on the trailer harness can be run to frame but Dan has outlined why that is not the best way to doit...IF there is anyway(make one) to run seperate grounds to each fixture, that is the way to doit!!!!

madjack

...I have come to believe that, conflict resolution, through violence, is never acceptable.....................mj